KIYOMI MCCLOSKEY

This morning TFF conducted an interview one of the Fabulous ladies from Hunter Valentine. Kiyomi McCloskey and TFF chatted about her involvement with The Real L Word, Hunter Valentine's new music video "The Pulse", and her view on reality TV. Kiyomi was wonderful and hearing about how Hunter Valentine formed was interesting. Their new album "Collide and Conquer" is available on iTunes and their new music video "The Pulse" can be viewed below. You can also catch Hunter Valentine in a city near you this Summer opening for the iconic Miss Cyndi Lauper. How FAB is that? Enjoy the interview and share with your friends!

The Fab Femme: Tell us about the birth of Hunter Valentine. What inspired you guys to start the band and how hard has it been to keep your stay inspired while juggling band members.

Kiyomi McCloskey:We met in the first gay club I ever went to. I always knew I was gonna do music. I was gonna do something regardless of whether I did this or not. When I met Laura we had an immediate connection and after we had a session together and played music we found out that we had a musical connection. After we started playing together we both realized we were gonna do this for a long time .

Having a band is a lot of work and Its disheartening when you think things are perfect and they don’t work out with a band mate or a label. You can’t let it affect you’re a game though. Overall we’ve had strong and gradual evolution and big things are poppin for us every year.

TFF: Your latest video “The Pulse” is amazing. How did you guys put together the concept for the shots?

KM: We work this director in Canada and he had a crazy idea for a video. He wanted to use the robot and hi had a bunch of crazy, weird ideas. I loved it. He was very excited about the idea and I think it’s very important for the director to be excited about vision. Most directors would have written a literal treatment after hearing the lyrics of the song.

TFF: Hunter Valentine’s latest album is titled “Collide and Conquer”. Tell us a little about this album. Was it difficult to write?

KM: I had a really good time writing this record. It seems like we had more time than usual. There was a lot of collaboration on this album. We got some time to all go off on our own and write about our own lives in New York and then come together and arrange them as a band and figure out which ones were the best and which ones should be left behind. I really like that it has a mixture of song writers unlike some of the other albums we’ve done.

TFF: Some of your newer fans developed a love for you and Hunter Valentine after seeing you guys on season three of The Real L Word. How did you guys end up on the show and what are your thoughts on being on reality TV. Were the cameras hard to get used to and how did the show change your career?

KM: It changed my whole world. First of all, we were doing our thing as a band and our booking agent called us and said The Real L Word contacted them and that they wanted us to be on the show. We thought they just wanted to shoot at one of our shows. They came back to her and were like “no, we want them to audition for the show to be ON the show”. We sent them our audition tape which was basically just us going to bars and messing around and being ridiculous. We went to LA and the rest is history. It’s been great for the band. We’ve reached a lot of new fans.

TFF: What did you learn about yourself after seeing yourself on TV.

KM: I learned more about television and reality TV than I did about myself. The first thing I learned is that they have to break the characters down and build them back up again. They have to make them a demon and bring them back up again so that they can be a hero in the end. I didn’t know how much being on the show and being perceived a certain way would affect me. I had to really learn to let things roll of my back and remember who I was and why I decided to venture on this whole thing. I had to focus on the positive and not the negative. You can’t complain because you decided to be on a TV show. At the end of the day everyone is a critic.

TFF: How do you stay inspired creatively and what advice can you give other musicians who have reached a crossroad with their creative endeavors?

KM: Music naturally inspires me. There are points when you get knocked down but it’s really important to focus on the positive. If you get a bad review or dropped by a label it’s important to remember that one opinion isn’t everyone’s opinion. Do what’s good for you.

TFF: Last question. Are there any artist you would like to get in the studio with?

KM: I would love to work with Linda Perry as a producer. I think she would be a great producer for Hunter Valentine. Pink is another artist we would like to work with. I went to go see her in London and her show blew me away. She’s one of the most talented artist I’ve ever seen in concert